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I love great brand + movie promotions and product placement done well. This holiday season there’s loads of them.

With the release of “Skyfall” the new superspy 007 thriller opening in theaters later this month, Heineken thrusts its brand partnership with Daniel Craig aka James Bond literally into his very hands. Tom Ford dresses Mr. Craig in the film. Omega is currently running outtakes of the film, as it’s new global TV commercial. And long live the product placement.

Heineken Skyfall TV Commercial

Brand partnerships can be a super investment, if done right and not the dogs breakfast. There are great examples of brands that have done it well. Brands have been doing film sponsorships for some time. For years, Volvo was the gold standard and probably cemented this practice as a viable marketing platform for brands. Back in the 80s, you couldn’t see a movie without someone driving a Volvo in the story.

When it comes to product integration, Apple has been the darling of Hollywood. iOS devices last year appeared in 40 percent of the top box office movies according to Brandchannel, which tracks product appearances. Intel Free Press writes that unlike all other brands — Apple doesn’t pay to play. For example, Apple’s iPhone, iMac and iPad got 8 minutes of screen time in the latest “Mission Impossible” movie. Many filmmakers are OK with this policy — those behind “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,” “’Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Chronicle,” for example — but not everyone in Hollywood is willing to give Apple a free ride according to IFP.

Brands that invest in a movie promotion can expect to pay for the placement in the film, the production of the TV commercial, the music rights, and the talent. Plus the media costs to run the promotional TV commercial that you’ve made. But these costs may well be worth it depending on the project and its impact for the brand.

The challenge these days is how do you integrate a brand into a film and it’s promotion in a way that fits with the story and doesn’t look awful. Many times it is like “Shakespeare being paid to write with a biro rather than a quill,” says the Independent. ”Product placement is a fact of life. There’s no getting away from it and, if it funds great flicks, long may it continue. But as with so much these days, it seems now to be running away in superfluous deliverance. Film integrated advertising has lost its subtlety. No longer is it merely embedded within cinema, gently filtering into our brains and only whispering at us to buy; now it shouts to us from inside Coca Cola cans and slaps us in the face with Omega watch-wearing wrist.”

Omega Skyfall TV Commercial

What makes a great movie partnership for a brand?

The best partnerships are a win win for both the brand and the film makers/movie studio. The promotion should feel like it was crafted in the same style as the film, with subtlety and a well written script. Film makers are terrified of brands that want to simply plop the product into the middle of the movie and brands don’t always feel that the movie industry treats their brands with the right level of respect.

Heineken Casino Royale TV Commercial

Blockbuster films that have global appeal enable brands to punch way above their weight. These movies are very attractive platforms for brands wanting to build global brand stature. James Bond is exciting, sexy, and masculine. It features new technology, international destinations, and has the perfect demographic. Bond offers Heineken a perfect partnership. My agency, StrawberryFrog, did the first Daniel Craig Bond Heineken promotion featuring Eva Green and the “Making Of”. We wrote a script (above) that felt like a scene from the flick. We hired Oscar winner Stephen Gaghan to direct it. We shot it on set during the filming of Casino Royale in Prague. We wanted it to be authentic as possible. The result was a piece of dramatic Bond film that also sold a lot of beer worldwide.

Likewise, Ericsson the mobile phone brand (before it was merged into Sony mobile phones) did many of the Bond films for the same reasons back in the 90s. Another global blockbuster film platform that does well globally is the Mission Impossible series featuring Tom Cruise. The latest featured the Burj Khalifa Centre of Now in Dubai, the tallest building in the world.

BMW Mission Impossible TV Commercial

Scarcity is the new luxury platform. In film partnerships, brands that participate with a new and interesting storylines such as James Cameron’s Avatar benefit from being associated with a breakthrough platform. Cameron, the blockbuster director, contacted Mahindra, the Indian vehicle manufacturer about Avatar. Both would have benefited from the unique look of the XUVs though this did not come to pass.

A platform for style is an excellent partnership for a fashion brand. Banana Republic is attached to the new “Anna Karenina” film with window displays, digital programs and even a line of specially designed collections for men and women. Eloquent fashion commentator Tom Julian recently wrote that “AK costume designer is Jacqueline Durran (known for Atonement)…this film should be silver screen stylish and will be released on 11/16.

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